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The George Dewey Family Papers are a collection of letters, legal papers, and account books of George, Julius, and Edward Dewey. The letters reveal the devout relationships the family continued to have even if there were periods of distance between them. The 23 letters from George Dewey to his father Julius are lengthy and detailed about George's first experiences in the Navy. There are ten letters from George to his brother Edward, including three from Manila and one concerning Edward's appointment of quartermaster for the Army.

The collection also includes some account books of Julius' and one of Edward's while he was quartermaster of the Vermont 8th Regiment during the Civil War, as well as some legal papers concerning the estates of Simeon, Julius, and Edward Dewey. The collection has a few miscellaneous items, such as Mary P. Dewey's commonplace book from 1894, a letter from Mary Greeley to her father Julius Dewey in 1863, letters of appointment concerning the estates of Simeon Dewey and Julius Dewey, and a premarital agreement between Julius Y. Dewey and his third wife Susan Elizabeth Griggs Lilley.

Biographical or historical data :

George Dewey was born in Montpelier, Vermont, on December 26, 1837. He was the youngest son of Julius Yemans Dewey (1801-1877) and Mary Perrin Dewey (1799-1843), who died when the boy was five years old. The family remained close despite their loss and George Dewey grew up to be, as his father described him, a "natural leader."

George Dewey's naval career began at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont, when he was seventeen years old. He attended Norwich with the intent to prepare himself for the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, to which he transferred to in 1855. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1858, the fifth in his class.

George Dewey is most famous for the May 1, 1898, defeat of the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay in the Philippine Islands. This victory made the United States one of the principal powers in the East, renewed confidence in the Navy, and made George Dewey admired by his country. Celebrations were held throughout the country. In Vermont, to honor its hometown hero, Dewey Day was held in Montpelier on October 12, 1899. During Dewey's lifetime he was one of the most famous men in America. On May 9, 1898, President William McKinley recommended Congress to appoint George Dewey to Acting Rear Admiral of the United States Navy for his patriotism and success at the Battle of Manila Bay.

George Dewey died on January 16, 1917, in Washington, D.C., and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.